The Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation’s (GCF) annual community CricFest event returned to the Seat Unique Stadium on the 8th & 9th August.
It was another memorable event at the Gloucestershire County Ground that welcomed 80 young people aged 8-15 from across the GCF’s community programmes and local cricket clubs to take part in our biggest community event of the year! The event saw a range of activities being packed into an exciting two-day schedule.
Super 1s Join the Party
This year was the first year that Super 1s attended CricFest. For Super 1s to be involved in a community event, be given the opportunities to take part in activities, and compete and socialise with others at an inspiring setting was a fantastic occasion. Super 1s hubs have developed over the last few years, with many attending wishing to compete and take part in cricket events. CricFest provided this opportunity for them, alongside meeting new friends, playing with siblings, and taking part in various other activities.
Jeanette Tate, Disability Development Officer said:
“It was inspiring to see the Super1s participants develop over the 2 days of CricFest, try new things compete against others, and increase in confidence and independence.”
Rain Does Not Stop Play
Forming our ten junior and senior teams raring to go were participants from the GCF’s community programmes (ACE, Wicketz, Super 1s and Chance to Shine Street) and youth sections from local cricket clubs. The weather forced a change in plans, but rain could not stop play for our young participants!
First up, all teams were treated to an insightful Q&A session by professional players Ollie Price, Dom Goodman, Joe Phillips, and Ed Middleton from the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. They fielded a host of questions from the room and spoke passionately and in depth about playing for Gloucestershire and their journey as cricketers so far. Their words of advice and encouragement were greatly received by our budding young cricketers.
Indoor activity was the order of the day, including: the Legend’s Walkway quiz, indoor reaction board challenges, the museum competition, skills practice in the indoor cricket centre and a behind the scenes tour of the players’ changing rooms – a popular choice!
Our partners from CGI and Claire Lyes, STEM Teacher and Trustee of the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation, delivered two separate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) educational workshop activities. Working in teams, the first challenge was to solve how to move equipment across a minefield without stepping into or throwing any equipment across the minefield. The latter activity involved teams building a wind power vehicle from limited resources. With everyone throwing themselves into the challenges, teams were also able to pick-up bonus points ahead of their cricket competition the next day.
Claire said:
“It was great to see the young people build relationships during these sessions and understand how these life skills are also valuable in cricket. Both sessions had time restraints to encourage working under pressure. The workshops also promoted teamwork, communication, problem solving, creativity and strategic planning skills.”
The Competition Hots Up
With the improved weather, day two began with exciting cricket fixtures on the stadium’s pristine outfield. Young cricketers had the unique opportunity to showcase their skills in a professional setting. The matches were filled with enthusiasm and competitive spirit, allowing these budding athletes to experience the thrill of playing on a grand stage.
A brief pause in play meant the players could catch their breath and spend some time talking with Gloucestershire CCC’s Luke Charlesworth and Ahmed Syed, who offered coaching tips for our matches in the outfield. It was a great chance for young people to receive advice from professional players to help improve their game for the rest of the tournament. We then gathered in the stand for a Q&A session with Luke and Ahmed, who answered a range of questions on their lives as cricketers, their cricketing role-models, the advice they would give to young cricketers and much more!
Time for Lunch
After a morning of intense action, the participants were treated to a delicious lunch provided by Nando’s. The popular restaurant chain served up a variety of their famous dishes, ensuring that the young cricketers were well-nourished and ready for the rest of the day’s activities. The meal also provided a chance for the participants to relax, socialize, and share their experiences with one another, making new friends and building camaraderie. Shortly after lunch, the Nando’s mascot, Barci, joined us wearing full cricket kit and took to the field to face the bowling of some of our coaches. Barci managed to hit a huge six, much to the delight of the children in the stand!
We were delighted to be joined by Ed Hadwin from BBC Radio Bristol – The Pavilion, who interviewed our young players and volunteers. It was great to hear youth voice have their say about how their team had progressed during the tournament, workshops, and favourite moments.
Click here to find out what they said.
It was soon time for the final round of fixtures, which brought the round robin tournament to a close. The second day of CricFest at the Seat Unique Stadium was a remarkable experience for the young cricket enthusiasts. The combination of perfect weather, thrilling matches, expert coaching, and a delicious meal made it a day they will cherish for years to come.
A huge congratulations to everyone involved across the two days. A special mention to our winners of the team leadership award. Their teamwork and encouragement of others shone through as they supported their teammates across the two days – well done!
Volunteers Make It Happen
We are incredibly thankful to our partners from CGI, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and Nando’s for their incredible support. The team of volunteers who supported on the day through mentoring, coaching and umpiring. To see the ease at which they put all teams was inspiring and they serve as positive role models for the next generations. The GCF team would also like to thank the Get Into Cricket volunteers, who coached throughout the event and accumulated more volunteer hours.
For volunteer Harry, CricFest was an invaluable experience:
“I really enjoyed coaching in the hall, to get to know the children better and understand what they wanted to improve on.”
It was another fantastic event, and we can’t wait for next summer, when we will do it all over again for CricFest 2025!